Folding chair.



Patnted Jan. 19, 1909.

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O. W. POTTER.

FOLDING CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15, 1909 OTIS WILLIAM POTTER, OF WAUOONDA, ILLINOIS.

FOLDING-ECHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Jan. 19, 1909.

Application filed July 15, 1908. Serial No. 443,610.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, O'ris IVILLIAM POTTER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Wauconda, inthe county of Lake and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Folding Chair, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to folding chairs, and more particularly such as are especially adapted to be removably secured to the walls of a room or hall, and which have folding seats and front legs.

An object of this invention is to provide a folding chair, simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture, which can be used either secured to a wall or as an ordi nary folding chair.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the class described, which is constructed so that the seat and front legs fold against the back, securing means being provided to hold the seat either in an open or in a closed position.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of my invention, showing the same removably secured to a wall; Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the device, showing the same in a folded position; Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section of one of the brackets, showing the locking means employed for securing the seat in either an open or in a closed position; and Fig. 1 is a cross section on the line l& of Fig. 3.

Before proceeding to a more detailed description of my invention, it should be understood that I provide a folding chair, especially adapted to be removably secured to one of the walls of a room or hall, but which can also be used as an ordinary folding chair, if so desired. For this purpose, I provide a chair which has a seat and front legs suitably hinged so that they may be folded against the back of the chair, and thus be out of the way if the chair is not to be used, or if the chair is to be stored. I further provide means for locking the seat either in an open or in a closed position, which includes brackets and notched guides secured to the back of the chair, and which pass through the brackets. The brackets are provided with spring members which engage the notches and lock the seat in the desired position.

In the specific form shown in the drawings, I provide a folding chair, which includes a back 1, a seat 2 and a front 3. The last is comprised of legs 4, rails 5 and a top bar 6, the seat 2 resting upon said bar and being movably secured to the top of the legs 4 by means of hinges 7. The back 1 includes uprights 8 which constitute the back legs of the chair, cross members 9 connected by upright rails 10, in combination with which they serve as a back rest, and cross supports 11 for strengthening the uprights. The seat 2 has cut away portions 12 at the sides adjacent to the uprights 8 and which receives the latter, as shown most clearly in Fig. 1. The seat 2 has further cut away portions 13 in the side which is between the two uprights. Extending between the latter is a hinge rod 14 which carries hinges 15, the latter being located in the cut away portions 13 of the seat and being secured to the latter at the under side thereof. A cross rod 16 is arranged between the uprights near their lower ends, and movably carries cross bars 17 which have their'outer ends movably secured on the lower rails 5 of the front 3. I further provide a locking mechanism for securing the seat and front in either an open or in a closed position as desired, and which in cludes guides 18 preferably semicircular in form, and having their ends 19 secured to the uprights by means of screws 20 or the like. These guides have a plurality of notches 21. Secured by means of screws 23 on opposite sides of the seat are brackets 22 having openings 24 extending substantially vertically therethrough, and in which the guides 18 are received. Each bracket preferably consists of a body 25, a locking member 26 located in a recess 30 and adapted to engage the notches 21 of the guides, and a manually operable stud 27 arranged in an opening 31. The shank 28 of the stud is secured to the locking member 26. Resilient means 29 such as a spring or the like, is arranged in the opening 31 and serves to hold the stud and the locking member in position so that the latter will engage the notches as the brackets are moved along the guides.

If it is desirable to secure the chair to the wall of a room or hall, retainers 32 can be used, as shown most clearly in Fig. 1. These retainers pass around the uprights near the lower ends thereof and hold them rigidly in position. Furthermore, I provide keepers 33, each consisting of a shank having its end 34 laterally and inwardly bent and being itself rotatable, so that if it is desired to remove the chair from the wall, the keeper may be rotated so that the lateral extensions 34 will pass out of engagement with the up rights and allow the chair to be withdrawn from the retainers 32. It should be further understood that I do not limit myself to the particular form shown in the drawings, as others equally advantageous may be used without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A folding chair comprising a back, a seat hinged to the back, a front hinged to the seat, pivoted cross bars connecting the front and the back, and a locking mechanism comprising curved guides attached to the back, and projecting forwardly therefrom, and brackets on the seat having openings through which pass the guides, and means in connection with the brackets for locking the said brackets with respect to the guides.

2. In a device of the class described, a back having uprights constituting legs, a seat movably carried by said back, a front having legs, and movably secured to said seat, and pivoted cross bars connecting said front and said back, and a locking mechanism including curved guides attached to said back and extending at the sides of said seat, brackets on opposite sides of said seat, said brackets having openings to movably receive said guides, and means on said brackets for locking said seat in a plurality of positions on said guides.

3. A folding chair comprising a back, a seat hinged to the back, and locking mechanism comprising a curved guide secured to the back and pro ect1ng forwardly therefrom, a 1

bracket on the seat having an openmg through which passes the guide, and means in connection with the bracket for locking the same with respect to the guide. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OTIS WILLIAM POTTER. l/Vitnesses:

HARRY T. GRAHAM, HANER T. CoAK. 

